Navy Prototype HTS Motor on Schedule for Testing

November 4, 2002

American Superconductor Corporation has completed the manufacture and testing of the rotor assembly for the world's first high temperature superconductor
(HTS) ship propulsion motor. AMSC, which is manufacturing the prototype motor
under a contract from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR), has now
shipped the rotor assembly to ALSTOM's Power Conversion Business in the U.K.
ALSTOM is contracted by AMSC to build the stator and to take care
of the final assembly including factory testing of the complete motor by July
2003, at which time the finished motor will begin testing by the Navy.
The power rating of the high torque, low speed (230 rpm) HTS motor is 5
megawatts (MW), or 6,500 shaft horsepower. The rotor assembly, which is the
heart of the motor, includes the rotor shaft, torque tube, HTS coils -- wound
with AMSC's HTS wire -- a power electronic exciter, and integrated
refrigeration components used to cool the HTS coils. AMSC's HTS rotor
windings incorporate a new design that increases the efficiency and the
compactness of the motor. The 5 MW/230rpm HTS motor will be one-half the size
and weight of a conventional motor built with copper coils. The electrical
losses of this motor will be less than half those of a conventional ship
propulsion motor because of the higher electrical efficiency provided by the
HTS wires employed.
"The ship propulsion motor we are developing for the U.S. Navy represents
a significant milestone in the commercialization of HTS rotating machines,"
said Dave Paratore, vice president and general manager of American
Superconductor's Electric Motors and Generators business unit. "We believe
HTS propulsion motors will revolutionize the commercial marine and naval ship
industries because of their significantly smaller size and weight, and their
higher electrical efficiency, which translates into significant fuel savings.
Our goal is to begin deliveries of 5 MW ship propulsion motors to integrators
of commercial ship propulsion systems in two to three years."
In addition to being a critical product development milestone, the low-
speed, high-torque 5 MW motor is the power rating required today to propel
many types of passenger and merchant vessels including container ships,
passenger ferries, so-called Roll-On, Roll-Off merchant cargo ships, and
tankers carrying a wide range of materials. The significant advantages of HTS
motors in efficiency, weight and volume relative to conventional motors are
expected to enable ship architects, builders and operators to capitalize on
more cost-effective designs that allow more cargo or passengers to be
transported, and in some applications, and at increased speeds with new hull
designs. Better efficiency, less weight, and less space have been
characterized as the "Holy Grail of ship designers" by Kvaerner Masa Marine, a
noted naval architect and marine consultancy.
Mr. Paratore noted that the next key steps in the development of military
and commercial HTS ship propulsion motors will be the demonstration of a 25
MW/120rpm motor. "While our 5 MW motor is already a commercially viable size,
we also intend it to be a risk mitigation step toward the development of HTS
motors with power ratings up to about 40 MW, which we intend to have as part
of our product portfolio along with HTS generators that will supply the
electricity to run the motors," said Paratore. "With motor designs at these
power ratings, we will be able to meet customer requirements across a broad
spectrum of applications and sizes."
Because electric propulsion systems offer significant advantages over
mechanical propulsion systems, industry experts project that the global market
for electric ship propulsion motors will grow from $400 million per year today
to $2 billion to $4 billion per year in ten years, a compound annual growth
rate of more than 20 percent. A recent study by MSCL Inc., an international
maritime consultancy, stated that "Ship builders and naval architects ... all
agree that electric drive is becoming the drive system of choice for many new
ships of every type and it is expected to become dominant in the market within
the next decade."

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